The present invention relates to a system and a method for designing an accessory, or more in particular to a system and a method for designing an accessory suitably used for selling or purchasing an accessory such as jewelry through network shopping.
In recent years, demand has increased for a system in which the user can readily purchase an accessory such as jewelry of his/her own original design, which is different from ready-made accessories, by a simple ordering procedure. In the current practice of network shopping using the internet or the like, however, it is often the case that a multiplicity of (ready-made) commodities are offered for selection by the user ignoring his/her willingness to design.
Some ordinary shops handle commodities such as shirts and suits which can be custom-made. The procedure for ordering, however, is nothing other than the user selecting candidate items according to a predetermined sequence and finally placing an order for a selected item. There also exist shops which actually handle parts of accessories. In such shops, however, it is difficult for prospective customers to take time in selecting parts and arranging the selected parts as desired to check the state of a commodity which is expected to be completed.
Conventional systems for supporting the determination of design specifications are disclosed in JP-A-8-30674 and JP-A-8-134765. Also, a conventional system for preparing a menu for cooking is disclosed in JP-A-8-161293.
As described above, a conventional system is not available in which prospective purchasers can take time in designing original accessories such as jewelry to their preference before placing a purchase order. In the past, therefore, commodity purchasers had no choice but to select and purchase ready-made items in physical shops, by catalog shopping or network shopping.